1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for filleting fish.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The joy which follows a day of successful angling can be greatly diminished by the unpleasant task of fish filleting which must necessarily follow. When done by hand, this time consuming and troublesome task can inefficiently leave a large amount of flesh on the bones or, conversely, can cut into the skeleton to yield an unsatisfactory, bony fillet. Hand filleting is also notorious for causing serious knife injuries which occur as the angler struggles with the slippery, floppy catch. Unfortunately, machines which have been constructed to date for filleting fish are inefficient as well as expensive.
One example of a filleting machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,738,544, issued Mar. 20, 1956. In this machine, a V-shaped trough consisting of a pair of spaced endless belts carries a fish into engagement with a pair of vertical sawblades in an attempt to cut two opposite fillet portions and a central bony portion, the latter of which is then discarded. However, it would appear that the pair of belts cannot satisfactorily grasp the fish while the fillets are severed, especially when the fish is somewhat lightweight and incapable of self-support on the belts. As a result, use of this device would apparently be limited to preparing large fish caught by commercial fishing operations.
Another fish filleting machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,308, issued Aug. 3, 1971. In this apparatus, a fish is fed tail first through a pair of spaced, elongated blades, and a pair of rotating splined rollers disposed downstream of the blades then attempts to grasp the tail and pull the fish through the blades to cut the fillet portions. Unfortunately, the pulling force exerted by the rollers could apparently break the vertebral column or so-called backbone of the fish and thus prevent further filleting, especially when the fish is somewhat small. Also, the tail when emerging from the blades may flop and miss the rollers such that the operator must retract the fish and then reinsert the latter for proper engagement. Additionally, if the tail is thick an upstream thrust will be necessary to force the fish into the blades for cutting until the tail can finally be grasped by the splined rollers. To overcome this latter deficiency, a V-shaped conveyor is often utilized upstream of the rollers and the operator then steadies the top portion of the fish with a shield or hood to guide the fish properly toward the blades. Obviously, such a complicated and expensive device is cumbersome to use as well as subject to numerous mechanical breakdowns.